Tuesday, June 6, 2017

'Avatar' Multiplayer Game Will (Probably) Be Out Before Sequels

Those "Avatar" sequels are taking so long to happen, we'll probably see a new "Avatar" multiplayer game first.

FoxNext president Salil Mehta tells THR, "We are evaluating rollout but believe [the game] will come out before the sequels. It's an incredible way for many global fans to experience the world of Pandora."

This news comes as a result of FoxNext, a division of 21st Century Fox division, acquiring mobile game developer Aftershock. Aftershock was already working with Fox and James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment on a multiplayer mobile strategy game based on the 2009 blockbuster.

Other upcoming FoxNext movie-based games: a "Planet of the Apes"-themed experience tied to "War for the Planet of the Apes," and a multiplayer VR game based on the "Alien" franchise.

Last we heard, those long-in-the-works "Avatar" sequels are scheduled for December 18, 2020, December 17, 2021, December 20, 2024 and December 19, 2025.

Cameron told CNN earlier this year that he's not worried about flagging interest after such a long delay: "It was a seven year gap between 'The Terminator' and 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day,' seven year gap between 'Alien' and 'Aliens.' It's gonna be obviously more like a ten year gap between 'Avatar' and 'Avatar 2.' But 'Avatar 2' you are going to with not the promise, but the certainty of three more films beyond that, and that's a very different concept with the audience. And a lot of the delay has been around creating that overall vision."

In the meantime, if you're craving a Pandora fix, you can visit the newly opened "Pandora -- The World of Avatar" at Disney's Animal Kingdom park in Orlando, Florida.